Military to remove enola gay photos for violating dei rules

Speed: 0. The military is set to remove thousands of photos and online posts in the DEI purge following an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot confirmed the removals : "We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms.

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. And a photo of Army Corps biologists was on the list, seemingly because it mentioned they were recording data about fish—including their weight, size, hatchery and gender.

Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the move, arguing that DEI initiatives undermine military cohesion and operational effectiveness. Comment on your rating. Images of historically significant military achievements or personnel, such as the Tuskegee Airmen and the first female Marine Corps infantry graduates, have been flagged for removal.

The removal effort has sparked confusion, as some images appear to have been marked for deletion because their filenames contain the word "gay," including those of service members with that last name and the Enola Gay, the Boeing B aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb in combat during World War II.

The vast majority of the Pentagon purge targets women and minorities and it also removes a large number of posts that mention various commemorative months—such as those for Black and Hispanic people and women. Copy Link. Shane joined Newsweek in February from IBT UK where he held various editorial roles covering different beats, including general news, politics, economics, business, and property.

References to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and women and minorities are among the tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content.

Several photos of an Army Corps of Engineers dredging project in California were marked for deletion, apparently because a local engineer in the photo had the last name Gay. References to the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan during World War II have been flagged for removal in Pentagon documents as the Department of Defense purges references.

Military branches are continuing to review content, but officials have acknowledged that inconsistencies in archival procedures may make it difficult to recover deleted materials. You can reach Shane by emailing s. However, the process has been slow because of limited personnel numbers.

Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Top stories. The Pentagon 's directive to remove DEI-related content has resulted in the flagging of more than 26, images across all military branches, though officials suggest the final count could exceed , as reviews continue.

Images of "Enola Gay," the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan are among those targeted by the U. They are among a number of photos unrelated to DEI that have been mistakenly flagged, including those from an Army Corps of Engineers dredging project in California, seemingly because an engineer in the image had the last name "Gay.

We are returning the focus of the military to merit and mission readiness. The executive order mandating the removal of DEI-related content required all military branches to review years of archived material, including website postings, photos, news articles and videos.

He is a graduate of the University of Lincoln, England. Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsweek AI is in beta. In the rare cases that content is removed that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct components accordingly.

A Marine Corps official stated that all flagged images within their database had either been removed or would be removed soon. Read original. Images of "Enola Gay," the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan are among those targeted by the U.S.

military in an initiative to eliminate content related to diversity. The Marine Corps has only one civilian employee handling the removals, and an estimated 1, military-related social media accounts remain under review. Some historians and military experts have raised concerns that the removals could lead to the loss of important records documenting the evolution of the armed forces.

If the materials could not be reviewed by the deadline, they were to be "temporarily removed from public display" until further assessment. Languages: English.